History is also repeating itself because, as per my annual tradition (going on eight years now), I am going to look back and share several memories and things I learned over the course of 2016. If you are intrigued, please read on. If I have already successfully bored you, here’s a photograph of a cute baby animal before clicking away merrily to a more fascinating website:

Ahem. And now, 51 Things I Learned in 2016:

1) You wake up with hesitation about 2016 on January 1st. You’ve been having doubts about everything it seems lately, and you are genuinely unsure of where this year is headed. You have just moved out from your parents’ house, and you are still re-adjusting to living on your own.

2) These doubts and fears don’t go away when you find out that your new landlords tell you they are selling the house you are currently renting on January 2nd, and you have until April 1st to find a new place to live. Again.
3) To fight these feelings brought on by the large blank canvas that looms before you, you start making spontaneous plans, like entering a writing competition, pitching a story to a magazine, applying for a fellowship and planning a two-week trip abroad with your boyfriend the two of you have dreamed about for years. You tell yourself half-heartedly that if you are meant to be a writer, at least one of the writing things will pan out.

4) You get rejected by the magazine, but are encouraged to keep pitching.

5) You become a savvy apartment hunter, and within two weeks of learning you have to be out of your current residence you and your roommate locate an adorable two-bedroom that will be ready by March 1st – and you can paint the walls.

6) You have driven a U-Haul. Never forget that.

7) You sigh relief, thinking you don’t have to move again for a long while – until your place of employment informs you they are moving their offices in August.

8) It’s during the spring where the year suddenly takes off for you, and in turn throws several surprises your way: Your co-worker and fellow work space neighbor informs you she is leaving for another job in another city. You make it into the fellowship. Another co-worker and dear friend informs you she is leaving her part-time job where you work for a full-time gig elsewhere, but she gets to visit you at your fellowship. You receive a voicemail from a number you don’t recognize only to learn that the writing competition you entered has selected your piece out of 270 submissions to be one of the 12 performed in September.

9) May and June are very conflicting months for you.

10) But you start to feel like this whole writing thing might actually be your calling after all.

11) The night at Hotel Foster and Ian’s Pizza in celebration of a friend’s graduation will live on as a story you tell your kids when you reminisce about your twenties before they came along.

12) You learn that you will never ever ride the Lake Michigan Ferry again. EVER.

13) Because apparently, you get motion sick. Or so you think.

14) Remember, you have driven across half the country completely alone, after getting sick – twice, through states you’ve never been to, with a phone at 10%, a dead GPS, no maps, and with less than half a tank of gas. Remember that you did that.

15) But next time, remember you should fly.

16) You would find the one lady in Rochester, New York who runs an AirBnB that looks like a fairy-tale cottage and is a freelance scenic designer for some of the community theaters in town.

17) After a 2.5 hour ferry ride, and over ten hours on the road lending to hundreds of miles driven and several toll booths fed, you will find yourself in one of the most comfortable beds of your life. It will easily make the Top 5 List.

19) You meet some of the best theater critics and arts journalists currently working in the country, and you instantly feel insignificant. All confidence you just gained regarding your writing is gone.

21) When you think you suck, remember you made Chris Jones laugh with your writing. Laugh because he found it funny, not because it was awful. You hope.

22) You realize your next car should be newer, so the chance of your muffler falling off completely after a cross-country road trip is less likely.

23) Food poisoning isn’t fun. Especially when you are 1,000 miles from home.

24) You spend your second week at your fellowship feeling like your disappointing everyone because you keep getting sick, off and on. You wonder what the hell is going on. You’re quite certain several people are speculating you are pregnant.

25) But you’re not pregnant. You (finally, and officially) get diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Suddenly, so many moments of your life make sense.

26) Thank God for your dear friend who was able to help you drive back home. You learn the two of you are even more alike; she is after all the reason you learned about the fellowship, told you to get checked out, and helped you get anxiety medicine.

28) In August, you spend two-weeks on a whirlwind adventure abroad with you boyfriend of six years. You thank your doctor for giving you another batch of anxiety medication to help you cope.

29) You don’t remember planes being a problem before, considering you have gone on a plane every year since 2012 and aside from freaking out from occasional turbulence, you have been fine.

30) Despite the rain in Iceland, you enjoy its natural springs and waterfalls and black sand beaches. You adore the colorful houses of Reykjavik. You eat at Bobbie Fischer’s favorite pho place. You sit on a basalt column outside of Vik, in the mist, never wanting to sit anywhere else. You stand in front of a Skogafoss, and the brisk droplets from the waterfall make you feel truly alive and happy. Months later, you will want to go back.

31) London is as wonderful as every single British romantic comedy has ever made it out to be. You feel welcomed. You become a skilled Tube rider. You spend the day touring the Tower of London and see the Crown Jewels. You learn sometimes you just need to go off and discover, and you will happen upon a local pub (just around the corner from 221B) and it will have the best fish and chips you have ever tasted. You walk the whole length of Hyde Park in hopes of finding the Peter Pan statue. Months later, you will want to go back.

32) The London Tube and The Paris Metro both have a tendency to attract accordion players.

33) Paris is exactly how you picture it. You find joy in sitting outside of Notre Dame, eating your leftover airplane breakfast as lunch, listening to the bells beside the love of your life. At that moment, you can’t imagine anything more romantic.

34) Bike signals save lives in Amsterdam. So does the fact you and your boyfriend both have your phones on you, allowing you to find each other when you separated.

35) You get cursed at in Dutch. You deserved it.

36) You also learn that stairs are incredibly steep in Amsterdam townhouses. But from all the walking you are doing in their beautiful parks and around their museums, your calves are up to the challenge. Good thing, since Scotland also has an obsession with stairs.

38) It is amazing how close a room full of strangers can become over a magical evening featuring whisky tastings, dinner, and an illusionist’s show.

39) The Scottish Highlands are beautiful. You decide you need to return someday to see everything you missed. Speaking of which, you miss Scotland a lot.

40) Your boyfriend can drive on the left side of the car in Ireland. You find this new ability of his extremely attractive.

41) The Irish countryside makes you think of home.

42) You make it to the Cliffs of Insanity. You can neither confirm nor deny that you took a piece of them with you.

43) Your new work desk is a mini condo with a window. But still, you hope for no more moving.

44) You are called a playwright when the monologue you wrote for a writing competition is performed before an almost full-house at a professional theater. The artistic director hugs you, and she and her artistic associate, along with your piece’s director and actress all commend you on your writing style. For the first time in a long time, you feel like you have found a place where you belong, among these fantastic artists.

45) In regards to a certain election, you didn’t see that coming. You also can’t help but feel as if you are living in an alternative timeline, what with the election results, the surplus of celebrity deaths, and the Cubs winning the World Series.

46) Apparently, if your boyfriend’s parents host your entire family for Thanksgiving, your grandparents will take this to mean you and your boyfriend are actually engaged.

47) Between the holidays and end-of-the-year-work-related-stress, your anxiety flares up again in time for all end-0f-the-year festivities. You decide you won’t let it get in the way.

48) La La Land helps you find magic in a month where you have been feeling anything but. On that note, Rogue One makes you wistful for Iceland and Carrie Fisher and Arrival helps you make peace with the concept of making decisions for your future self.

49) Your roommate makes you a Star Wars blanket, a friend gifts you Nessy socks, your landlord and downstairs neighbor continue to be the best landlord and neighbor ever when they surprise you with gifts, your mom gives you a book followed up with the words “you can write better than this,” and your boyfriend invests in your health by getting you a Fit Bit – which, surprisingly, helps you manage your anxiety. Bottom line: on your worst days, no matter the distance, remember people love you just as you are.

50)Speaking of love, you realize how grateful you are to have Z in your life. From remembering the little things (such as the fact you like peanut M&Ms in your movie popcorn) to being there when you need it most (such as having a panic attack), he is absolutely one of the best elements of your life. He has seen you at your worst (mentally, emotionally, physically – yes, including illness) and he still holds your hand and helps you get through to the next moment. Remember his kindness and patience and love as you head into your seventh year together. Men like him (heck people like him) don’t just appear at your doorstep everyday.

And, finally…

51)You realize you need to keep working on being happy yourself. You skew bitter and resentful too often, which is sad because if there is anything you have learned this year is how much you actually have going for you.

So, in the famous words of Shia, “JUST DO IT!” is the theme for 2017. Eat the healthy salad instead of the pizza you will regret. Clean up the mess instead of letting the mess control you. Turn off Facebook instead of scowling at the stories friends share. Read a book or work on your own, instead of wondering why nothing ever happens to you. Book a flight and go on a trip and don’t let your anxiety win. Love your family, your friends, and Z to the best of your ability, and remember they are human too. Don’t be afraid to be selfish from time to time, and don’t be afraid to stick up for yourself. Don’t judge your life by the friend that got engaged, the brother that bought a house, or the acquaintance that got a new job – hold yourself to your standards, not some other human’s.

1. I ushered in the new year celebrating one year of full-time with my current employer, and starting a 401k like a real adult.

2. I finally saw every episode from all ten seasons of Friends. That was most of my January, February, and March. No I don’t regret it.

3. Because sometimes you get coffee with a dear friend at 8 at night, only to have to move to a little bar to purely continue on the conversation.

4. To celebrate turning 25, I took the day off of work, and spent the day and weekend with Z.

5. I paid off the last of my student loans. It still doesn’t even feel real.

6. I helped market and costume design a Shakespeare show and didn’t die.

7. I road tripped through South Dakota with one of my closest friends and we didn’t die.

8. I saw Mount Rushmore, Devil’s Tower (one of my favorite places from our trip), Yellowstone National Park (which can be done in one day), and the Oregon Coast all for the first time.

9. The Oregon Coast is beautiful and I can’t wait to return.

10. Had the best coffee in the Seattle area once again…and it didn’t disappoint.

11. Saw the gum wall before they cleaned it up – I call that an accomplishment.

12. No matter where we are, however many cities or states away, we can pick things up right where we left them. I learned that with countless friends this year, and I look forward to embracing that knowledge in the coming year.

13. October 21, 2015 was literally the best date (night) ever.

14. I (finally) moved out of my parents’ house, and into my first grown-up place. It has down wonders for mine and my parents’ relationship.

15. Family is important – especially the people that become your family.

16. Star Wars. Still sorting out my feelings.

17. It is possible to go ice skating and not fall down.

18. Christmas 2015 – the year I got excited over kitchen appliances…and an R2D2 scarf from my new roomie.

19. Z gave me one of the best Christmas gifts of my life. This gift took time, heart, and was put together with love. Something he shows me everyday, and that I’m going to try and show better myself to him and everyone else in 2016.

It started out as a crazy idea, the kind that you blurt out of your mouth before your brain’s common sense kicks in and keeps you from saying things like “I love you” on the first date.

We were driving in the car, it came up, and without really thinking extensively about it I merely suggested it.

My dear college friend and former roommate K had told me several months prior to this conversation that she had decided to move back to her home state in the Pacific Northwest to be close to her family. At first my reaction, and several of my friend’s reactions were as follows:

It may have looked like anger, but it deep down it was really more this:

Ultimately, I completely understood her decision and was supportive 100% – which led to us driving downtown one day and me casually asking when she was heading out West, which led to me asking if she needed any help – and her wondering if I would be down for a road trip. I quickly calculated how much vacation time I had left (because, you know – adult and full-time job stuffs), and enthusiastically agreed it was a splendid idea.

Suddenly, her move was something to be celebrated, and we got cracking on our plans.

Which leads us to day one of our trip. I had a brand new and compact suitcase, that possessed only the bare essentials (my Backstreet Boys tour shirt and my I “less than three” Star Wars shirts, obviously) tightly rolled up in little fabric crepes and burritos I had lovingly created at 5 in the morning. I had prepped myself – we had booked hotels, I had planned for all kinds of weather, and my bladder was prepared for many hours between rest stops.

Our journey was going to take us four days and 2,000 plus miles across country. Because we weren’t just moving K, but making fun memories that we will keep with us always, we were also going to hit up national monuments and memorials (note: there is a difference) along the way. The worst day of driving would be Day 1, going from the beloved Dairy State to Rapid City, South Dakota. Give or take – 12 hours of driving. Thank God for comfy, stretchy, oh-so-wonderful leggings.

We. Were. Ready.

Here begins the (hopefully) interesting written account of our cross-country adventure. Over the next few weeks, I will go into detail about what each day shared with us, as well as things I learned from a traveling standpoint as well as things I learned about myself as a person.

Day 1 – 6:30 a.m. – Friday – Dairy State

K hugged her roommates (her second family for the past four years post college), I settled into the driver’s seat, plugged in my Epic Road Trip playlist, began the Lindsey Stirling, and we were off.

(This happened later. Much later.)

K had me start driving because since she was moving from the state she had called home for the past eight years and saying an extended “see you later” to the countless friends (let’s be real here – the girl seriously has a colony that is her fan club) she had made during that time, it was understandable there might be some of those things called emotions during the first leg of our journey.

However, spirits were kept rather high. We were making excellent time, after an hour or so we arrived to the singing-along portion of the playlist, and chatted and caught up on things that happened in our lives since the last time we saw each other (which had literally been two days prior). We crossed the mighty Miss a sip, and before we knew it we were nearing the halfway mark of Day 1 of our travels.

Day 1 – Around 1:00 p.m. – Somewhere in Minnesota

We talked about a full-range of subjects: life, favorite memories, things that happened to us in the past few weeks, and yes – even boys. I was enjoying the drive. K and I never seemed to have trouble with making conversation, and when it was silent it was never awkward, simply a pause or break in conversation. Driving was going great, we were still making excellent time, and suddenly the speed limit was legally 80 mph and I may have pretended we had a DeLorean for a brief moment:

Then I remembered we had a ’99 Taurus loaded down with my dear friend’s belongings and rejoined the slow lane.

Day 1 – Around 2:30 p.m. – ???

We had agreed upon stopping in Sioux Falls, SD for gas and to stretch our legs, as well as switch positions with driving. However, we hadn’t seen any major cities for awhile, and we were debating if we were still in Minnesota or had somehow entered South Dakota without even realizing it. On top of that, our amazingly smart and highly expensive location finders (read: mobile phones) were receiving no signal.

Coming upon a rest area was a Godsend, and we found out we were about an hour into South Dakota via a bulletin board map with a lovingly YOU ARE HERE scribbled above our location in Sharpie marker.

Apparently, South Dakota doesn’t like to welcome you to their state.

And – to be honest – for good reason. Now, this is not to come across as disdain for the state of South Dakota. They grow a lot of crops that help feed the rest of the country, and they also house a booming tourism industry and economy in Rapid City due to Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and other exciting area attractions.

However, with all that said, getting to Rapid City is the least interesting trek you will ever make.

The scenery you experience will be as follows:

1) Flat farm land.
2) The occasional optimistic several-hundred-acre sunflower fields (if you are traveling during the right time of year)
and (finally)
3) Exciting billboards for WALL DRUG, advertising it is only 260 miles away and counting.

There is a reason the speed limit is 80 miles per hour, and sadly even the novelty of that begins to seem slow once the scenery becomes repetitive. And this is where our trip began to struggle.

For starters, K gets cranky when she is hungry. I get cranky when I’m tired. On top of that, something I had eaten earlier in the day was not agreeing with my stomach, and the only way to not focus on it was to close my eyes and sit in the fetal position in the passenger seat while K played some Spice Girls (which, was oddly soothing) and some Frank Sinatra. This also meant K had to power through an extra hour of driving, with no help from me.

I have never been so relieved and excited to see so much consumerism and commercialism and name brand stores on top of each other when we reached the edge of Rapid City just shy of dusk.

Day 1 – 7:30 p.m. – Rapid City, South Dakota

We had made it in time to check into our hotel, grabbed dinner at Culver’s (K had her last frozen custard – for awhile – not too far from where Custer had his last stand…), and zoomed over to Mount Rushmore for the evening lighting ceremony.

We hurried up the steps – selfie sticks and tourists galore – and made our way to the outdoor amphitheater at the base of the mountain. A park ranger came out, talked about the history of the memorial, and then showed us a video that went into great detail. At the end, “America the Beautiful” was played, the four presidents’ faces were suddenly illuminated, and I was surrounded by the thousands of expensive camera flash being used by inexperienced photographers.

The initial part of the ceremony was informative, and interesting to say the least. It was also very cool to see Mount Rushmore in person, however it is true what they say – it is much smaller in person (spoiler alert?). However, you do feel a sense of pride at what each of those Presidents were able to bring to the table (even if some of what they brought wound up screwing over other people – more on that later).

The best part of the evening though was when they invited current and past service members to the stage to assist with the flag lowering portion of the ceremony. The stage was filled with over a hundred people, and it was great to thank them in such a prestigious and memorable place.

After the ceremony finished, everyone scurried to get to their car or the gift shop. K and I sat for awhile, in no rush to be anywhere, and simply stared at the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. That was one of my favorite moments of the trip: sitting in 50 degree weather just passed sunset, bundled in a sweatshirt, swatting at mosquitos, and looking up at something that has become extremely iconic in the States.

(The fact National Treasure 2 had also been filmed at this location also had some merit, I admit it.)

With a quick swing into the gift shop, nabbing some postcards since our photos hadn’t turned out great (partially due to the fact Kristen’s camera and my phone were dead), we headed back to our hotel, where we nosedived into the most luxurious bed of beds.

Seriously, I felt like I was laying a firm, yet very fluffy cloud and my blanket was another fluffy yet warm cloud. (It could have also been the fact that after 12 + hours of driving in 90 degree plus heat across South Dakota, I could have tumbled onto any surface and deemed it “cloud-like” and “the best bed ever.”)

As I shut my eyes to go to sleep, I reflected over the past day on the following thoughts and things I had learned:

1) Always leave with a full tank of gas. Always. On that note, make sure your phone is completely charged every morning as well. (#commonsense)

2) Make sure you have a playlist filled with variety so it can appease both drivers, as well as different songs for different moods along the journey.

3) Check your map stash before you leave and make sure you have one for each state you are driving through. Phones will not always work. (#morecommonsense)

4) Bring snacks and stay hydrated. Don’t drink too much – the rest stops are spaced greatly apart – but bring water or some Gatorade to keep you from getting headaches.

and finally…

5) If you are traveling 12 + hours by car in one day, be kind to yourself and upgrade to a nice hotel. Your body will thank you, and you will be ready to tackle driving again the next day completely refreshed.

Often, when I sit down to share my thoughts with the world on this blog, I tend to focus on a negative or less-than-glamorous aspect of my life and strive to find the silver lining of positivity.

However, today I’m not going to do that.

Instead, I’m going to share the positive elements of my day.

Today, I was inspired by:

1) My co-worker, who has a hearty laugh that is highly infectious.

2) A grilled cheese sandwich with macaroni and cheese embedded within, and the lovely company of one of my closest friends.

3) A young man that I guarantee will win a Tony someday, had amazing stories to share, and yet has remained sensationally humble.

4) The sweet stench of the city air while sitting on a park bench.

5) The image of two women wrangling a mattress up a flight of stairs to a cozy efficiency apartment with the biggest personality in the city.

6) The stories and tales we shared over drinks and sweet potato fries while on a rooftop overlooking the city we both love.

7) A theater company and the story they shared about women, who helped save generations of future women by their actions.

8) Z himself, who continues to surprise me with his endurance and strength, and my pride for him grows. And – on that note – despite his most tired of days, still takes the time to tell me he loves me – even though I already know.

9) The stars. Whether you believe in a higher power or science or both – the stars are beautiful and miraculous, no matter how you look at them.

Some days, I spend far too many breaths complaining. Today was a great wake up call in the best way. I was reminded that it is never too late – or early – to dream big. I was encouraged to try new things and be spontaneous. I recalled how great conversation can be. I was humbled by the stories of women, who faced workplaces much more dire than my own. I felt an incredible surge of love and respect for a man I sometimes don’t always appreciate. Finally, and above all, I felt content knowing that my life is far from perfect – and somehow that makes it just right.

This past weekend I did one of my firsts. In case you recall, it was me promising myself I would try 25 new things to commemorate turning 25 this year. With that said, one of my firsts happened this past weekend. It was a gala for work, which in layman’s turns means you get dressed up like you would for prom (but with less glitter) or a classy wedding and go to an event where everything is “free” (and by free I mean you pay a fair amount of coin to get all the free stuff where you are then expected to spend even more money to support said cause gala is for). I went to represent my boss and company.

No pressure.

I’ll admit, I had about two days where I seriously questioned why I had volunteered to go. I’m not known as the classy one in our circle of friends, and I wanted to do my best to represent my company. On top of that, I still had nothing to wear the night before.

Thank goodness for certain department stores and their steep discounts. Through the magic known as clearance items, I was able to pull together quite the outfit. The outfit is what helped calm my nerves. The second I shrugged that silky sheath of a gown on, I felt comfortable and confident all at once. Believe me, that is not an easy combination to come by with formal wear.

It was almost as if the dress had some magic powers, for the moment I purchased the dress I was no longer nervous for this gala. I felt ready. Prepared. Ready to take on the world (or at least the world of very generous individuals and their lifestyle that was oh so foreign to me).

As I prepared for the gala, the nerves stayed hidden. I curled my hair (all by myself – those that know me understand that this is a feat indeed), slabbed on some after 5 o’clock make up, shimmied into some black tights, and threw the dress on. When I saw the finished project, something happened. As I looked at myself, I didn’t see the awkward duckling everyone has come to know (and love). I didn’t see a girl that struggled with her confidence on the daily, that had issues with anxiety and always seemed to question herself.

No, instead I saw a confident, mature, and beautiful young woman staring back at me. It was like knowing you have potential bottled away somewhere, and then suddenly seeing it take form for the first time. That was my Saturday.

What was great was once we arrived at the gala, for a brief second this new bold lady disappeared, only to come back to the surface and network like a boss (see what I did there?) and she wound up having a fantastic time. This woman used the right fork on her salad, properly held her knife when cutting into her filet mignon, and helped keep an engaging conversation all through dinner. In some ways, the few hours at the gala and the confidence gained almost made up for every embarrassing moment I experienced at school dances as a young lass. Almost.

Now this all may sound quasi-arrogant, but I am merely sharing because I know I am not the only one out there that struggles with confidence. Especially in the writing community, we can be an insecure bunch, and that feeling intensifies when one actually lets others read their work (more on that later). It’s like exposing a vulnerable nerve, an open wound, and praying the individual holding your precious words doesn’t pour copious amounts of sodium into the fragile abyss that is your literary soul.

No. I do not share this experience at a gala to brag about how great I looked or how amazing I felt afterwards (well, not only). No, I’m sharing because it makes me happy that the confidence and potential I had been searching for so long is there and showed its shiny beaming face finally. It gives me hope that when other, bigger, scarier things come up in the next few months or years, be it related to writing or not – I will be able to handle it, no matter the size or fear attached.

So, I raise an imaginary glass of bubbly to you (again), recent graduates, fellow writers, and others who struggle, and to you I say simply this:

I turned 25 recently (by recently I mean almost a month ago), and it has been very…interesting to say the least. The months leading up to my twenty-fifth birthday were not pretty – they were filled with self-doubt, immense questioning, tears (the ugly kind), reruns of Friends and lots of staring at the ceiling late at night while trying to sleep wondering why I was such a mess.

Then, almost like magic, I turned 25. Within the past month already, some very positive changes have taken place. I have been spending time (actively!) on writing, and have been meeting regularly with two other young female writers at a variety of coffee shops and diners to focus and encourage each other with our writing. On top of that, every day life things got a huge sigh of relief when I submitted my final student loan payment almost exactly three years post graduation – which I am still in disbelief about, if I’m honest.

It’s funny – I spent all this time agonizing over turning 25, but here I am a month later and it is amazing how much better I feel already. I tend to worry unnecessarily (rather frequently, I’ll admit), but this new calm (largely due to the relief of no more student debt hanging over my head) has brought a newfound (albeit small) confidence into my life. And with this newfound confidence, which I believe may have been lurking behind a paranoid concern or pillar of low self-esteem (or two, or three), I feel ready to finally take charge and do some things I have been wanting to do for a very long time.

So my goal for my twenty-fifth year is simply this: to try and attempt twenty-five new “things”. It could be as simple as renting a car because I can now do that legally at every major rental car company to trying a new type of food. It could be big like traveling to a brand new destination I’ve never been to before or it could be something small, like a writing exercise in a different style or catching up on some classic literature.

I already have joined an amazing writing group, which has not only revitalized my passion for writing but has been an extremely healthy outlet for me (both creatively and socially). I have paid off my student loans, which means while I still have other debt and bills and am still living at home, I have gained another small ounce of financial freedom and self-reliance. I am going on an adventure with one of my dearest college friends at the end of summer as she moves on to another part of her life, and I will be flying alone for the first time ever.

All these little things I’ve noticed are having an extremely positive impact on not only myself as a person, but on my writing. I’m forcing myself to sit down and just DO IT and carve time out of my busy schedule to do so. I realized one night that I don’t need to spend countless hours on Facebook or Netflix – especially if I am not using my time wisely, time I could be using to flesh out the character of my current protagonist or working out the kinks in the plot.

So on that note, I raise a glass to year twenty-five, and am excited to see (and share) what new things come my way!